WW1 poetry does not help children understand the Great War, says Jeremy Paxman

‘All that is taught is about the pointless sacrifice,’ he told The Times. ‘It’s not helpful to see the whole thing through the eyes of poetry.’Such an introduction to the war could lead to people ‘passing on half-baked prejudices’, he went on, adding: ‘The big question is why Owen, after writing his anti-war poetry, and Sassoon, after his letter of protest, decided to go back and fight.’